The Way That We Love
by SeeInBlackAndWhite
Summary: MANGA-SPOILERS: Post-manga Elricest, it needed done. It worked both ways, with Edward his body was cheating on Mei; with Mei he was cheating on the most important person in the world.


Alphonse folded his hands together on the table hoping to keep his fingers from twitching with the urge to reach out. Across from him Edward was making funny faces at his daughter, Nina, sitting on the table before him. She giggled happily and clapped her tiny hands together. "Isn't she just the most adorable thing?" A voice shrieked behind him and he glanced up to smile at Mei, she pouted at him. "They have two, how come we don't have one?" Al laughed and looked back at Nina and Ed then up to Winry whom had Urey perched on her hip.

"They're children, dear, not animals, we can't just _have _them." Everyone else laughed with him, and Mei sighed.

"But they're so beautiful, I want to have children."

"Then you need to settle down a bit more," Winry said wisely, "you could never raise children running around the way you and Al do."

And they were off about raising children. Alphonse's eyes were automatically drawn back to Ed, that golden gaze finally met his own, and smoldered. Al felt guilty for a moment, it coiled in his stomach as he thought about Mei and her delightful wish to have a family, he wanted those things too and he wanted them for her. And Winry…Winry, too, so obviously madly in love with Al's brother. She'd bent over backwards for him since they were small and had continued to do so after everything was over, and she'd bore Al's little niece and nephew and he loved them too death and he knew it was wrong to think, every now and then, that he'd like to steal their daddy away.

Edward was still watching him, his eyes were smoldering and Al felt his guilt dissipate, replaced by a searing, roiling knot of need. So much so that his mind went blank, ignoring the pleasant chit-chat around him, ignoring the fact that Ed had returned to cooing at his little girl and focusing instead, all of his energy. On tracing the sharp line of Edward's jaw and the warm curve of his mouth, Al felt his face warming up.

"Al, hey, Alphonse, did you hear me?"

"Huh?...No, sorry, I didn't hear you, I spaced off just a little." His wife got a laugh at his expense but Winry cut her off to fill him in.

"I said that Mei and I are going to take Nina and Urey out for a while, I think we'll go spend a few hours in town."

"We're going to borrow the car, okay?"

"Okay." Alphonse said distractedly and even though he was looking in their direction he hardly saw them.

Mei lifted Nina off of the table after Ed gave her a swift kiss on the forehead. She cooed and kept making faces as the baby squished her eyes angrily, upset that she'd been taken from her father. She started to cry and Mei frowned, bouncing her lightly. "Don't you like your aunty?" She asked with a whining lilt to her voice.

Edward stood up, smiled and said, "I'm sure she likes you, she's just being fussy." He ruffled his daughter's hair and accepted a fleeting peck on the cheek from Winry. Alphonse took to his feet as well and bent down so Mei could kiss him quickly.

The brother's offered their wives goodbyes, Edward kissed both of his children again, and off they went; Alphonse didn't even give thought to the fact that Mei was a terrible driver and Winry would be busy with the kids to be keeping an eye out. It didn't matter because when the door closed, they were alone.

For a few very long moments Al stood with his fists clenched at his sides and Edward just stared at him. His eyes were scrutinizing, they searched him thoroughly; Al felt stripped as though he was already naked before Ed. The gaze was making him more impatient, but he remained still and let Edward have his few time until finally he spoke. "You've been gone for months," his voice was near a whisper.

"I know." Al met his searching eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You could have called or something." Al shrank back a bit, feeling ashamed that he hadn't.

"I know that, too, Brother, I'm sorry."

"Me too."

And then Edward was on him. The force with which Ed grabbed him knocked his shoulders back into the refrigerator, something rattled and crashed but they paid it no heed. Two strong, flesh hands were curled in the front of his shirt and hot lips had found his own. Al groaned; it had been far too long. He twisted his hands roughly in Edward's hair, trapping him in the hard kiss longer. His tongue lashed forward, mingling with Ed's and before long they were both moaning, Al didn't know who was making what sounds and he didn't care. He didn't want to insult his wife, but here and now, with his lover there was nothing better in the world.

Ed eventually had to pull away, had to breathe and grin fiercely with swollen, glistening lips. "Oh, god, Alphonse I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Brother, so much." Al swallowed his and Ed's saliva, and the lump that had formed in his throat at the thought of just how much he had missed Edward.

Ed's arms slipped around his back and tugged him as close as he could until they were separated by nothing but the frustrations of clothing. Sighing out a breath Al had been holding since the last time he'd been with Ed, he buried his face in the older man's chest. Ed smelled wonderful, a little of oil, a little of the sweet shampoo he'd always used, and a lot like home. Al blinked away tears, of joy or sorrow for lost time he didn't know and it didn't matter, and pressed his ear against Ed to listen to his heart beat strongly if a bit raggedly.

"Alphonse…" Ed murmured and wriggled his hand in between Al and his own chest, gripped his chin and tugged it up for another kiss. It started gentler this time, Ed's tongue prodded slowly begging for Al to open his mouth rather than demanding, Al melted into him, helpless to it.

Al broke away this time, "How long do you think we have? I sort of missed what Winry and Mei were saying…" Ed kissed the bridge of Al's nose, making him feel like the baby brother again.  
"Plenty," Ed coupled the light brush of his lips down Al's cheek and back, he brushed the short fringe of hair away from his ear and began to work it over. Kissing, sucking the lobe into his mouth and tracing curves with his tongue.

Alphonse whimpered and began to rub against him, blood was pooling in his groin and as he ground out a rhythm with his hips he felt the heat of Ed's erection. Ed growled and bit at him gently and as Al began to find his way to the clasp of Ed's trousers Ed snatched his wrist up and shook his head. "Not here, the bed, so I can look at you."

Easily, Al let himself be dragged through the house and up the stairs. It was all so familiar but somehow foreign. The old Rockbell home had changed very little, there were new pictures tacked on the walls and toys littered the floor; a distinct smell of baby powder lingered in the air instead of Granny's old pipe tobacco but the colours stayed the same, the furniture and light fixtures. Al remembered everything about this place but never before had he felt like he was intruding until Edward pulled him into the bedroom he now shared with their childhood friend.

"Isn't this you and Winry's room?" He asked timidly, sounding as he felt, young and innocent. He knew the answer to the question and Ed sighed at him.

"Come on, Al, don't be a prude now. Last time you visited we had sex in the car," that Winry and Mei were currently using, "this is just a room."

"It's also the bed you share with your wife." Al pointed out.

"And it was the car you share with _your _wife." Ed rebuked before he started unbuttoning Al's shirt. It was Al's turn to grin. It didn't matter how long he was away or where they were he was never uncomfortable around Ed, they always fell back on the same repertoire, and he couldn't get enough of it.

"That's different, you two have sex here!"

"You've never had sex in the car?" All the while they talked they rid each other of clothing, pressed against one another, kissed and ran hands over already well-acquainted bodies.

"Well I have, but that wasn't with my wife and you know it." Edward gave a tinkling laugh. _Lovely_. And pushed Alphonse onto the bed clad only in his boxers.

Ed crawled over him and bent down to massage his lips once more. Al removed the tie from his golden hair and splayed it across his beautiful, strong shoulders; both human and warm beneath his fingers.

On the same token he could feel Ed's automail lying alongside his leg; it was cool and refreshing like a drink of water after the long desert. He missed that, too, so much so that he often slept with something steel beside his cheek. It was comforting and reminded him of Edward. Of course, everything reminded him of Edward.

"You're quiet." Ed's mouth wrapped itself around the protruding nub of his collarbone and sucked gently. When he backed off, he asked, "Are you feeling guilty?" Alphonse thought about that a few moments before answering. He felt a _little _guilty, he always did. But it worked both ways, with Edward his body was cheating on Mei; with Mei he was cheating on the most important person in the world.

"Don't you feel at least a bit guilty?"

Ed shrugged, "Don't read me wrong, Al, I love my wife. But there's you, and…" he smiled, "I've always loved you."

"I love my wife, too!" Al said defensively, but he wasn't even certain that was true. He liked Mei, she was pleasant and enthusiastic and very pretty. But she'd never come close to making him feel the way Ed did. Maybe he'd just been spoiled; he'd practically been born beside the person he truly loved. "But…I love you more." He finished quietly and Edward kept on grinning. He straddled Al's hips and thrust against Al's cock through their shorts. "Ed!"

"Who knows, maybe we'll ask them to join us someday." Al laughed, knowing that wasn't true. He grasped his brother in a tight, somewhat sweaty and awkward, hug.

No, this was private. Just for them. Because to the girls they would always be brothers. To them, they would always be lovers.

The world couldn't accept both.


End file.
